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MARTIN DOWNS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
HAPPY NEW YEAR
2011
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Martin Downs Animal Hospital
1625 Martin Highway
Palm City, FL 34994
772-288-3456
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 JANUARY 2011 
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HOSPITAL UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
PHARMACY STUDENT FROM PALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
Martin Downs Animal Hospital will have a Senior student from Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy join us in January 2011. She will be completing a one month rotation in her final semester of school. We will also have another Senior student joining us at the end of January. These young women have chosen veterinary pharmacology as one of their elective rotations before graduation. As in the past, Dr. Robin Waters will be their Preceptor. We have had four other students join us in the past two years to complete their education. AVANTI CARDS Martin Downs Animal Hospital is now carrying Avanti Cards. They are hilarious! Their special blend of wit and attitude sets them apart from other greeting cards. We carry a large assortment of all occasion cards and also a special rack with Seasonal cards. Come in and check them out.
IN HOUSE BLOODWORK We have recently updated our Abaxis Blood Machine. Four new blood profiles are now available in-house versus sending them to an outside lab and waiting for the results. Clotting profiles, Liver profiles, Bile Acid profiles and Thyroid profiles can be run in minutes instead of waiting overnight. We are very excited to offer this new feature to assist in diagnostics for our patients.
PORT SALERNO SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
Join us at the Port Salerno Seafood Festival on Saturday, January 29th from 10am until 8pm. There will be food and fun for everyone! We will have the exclusive Yap Wraps and Techno Harnesses featured at our booth. You can purchase them along with seat belts for your pet's safety. It's a great way to spend a Saturday in South Florida.
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Our He ad Groomer, Cathy is our pick for the Employee Spotlight this month. Cathy has been with Martin Downs Animal Hospital since April 2008 this time! Previously she had been with Martin Downs Pet Clinic from 1990 until 1995. Cathy has been grooming for many years and excels in her profession. From Standard Poodles, as you can see by the picture, to Wheaton Terriers to Shih Tzu's; they all look great after Cathy is finished grooming them. Cathy also raises the most beautiful laborador retrievers you'll ever want to own. She has been breeding these dogs for many years, also. She has her two horses, a few cats, and her many dogs who share her home.
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BOARDER OF THE MONTH Maggie is a beautiful 6 year old Japanese Chin. She stays with us quite frequently in the medical boarding area of Martin Downs Animal Hospital. Maggie is on several medications and requires exceptional tender loving care. Our veterinary technicians make sure she is well cared for and her medication is administered correctly. The Drs. and technical staff keep a close eye on Maggie while she is boarding with us. Her owner knows Maggie will get the best of care during her stay.
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GROOMING CORNER
Dixie and Daisy are two beautiful chocolate Cocker Spaniels who are fairly new to our Spa. Once they tried out our exceptional grooming and bathing services, Dixie and Daisy now come on a regular basis to keep their beautiful coats in tip-top shape.
After receiving a soothing Hydrosurge bath and being gently dried with warm air, both dogs were clipped and shaped to perfection. One of our professional groomers, Sharon, did a great job getting these girls ready for Santa! Schedule an appointment today and see what a great job we can do for your pet!
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FASCINATING FELINE FACTS
CAN CATS GET HEARTWORMS?
The answer is  yes! Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk of heartworm infection.
Just like dogs, heartworms are transmitted to cats by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes transmit a larval form of heartworms, which will mature in a pet's body to become adult heartworms. While the incidence of heartworm infection in dogs has been reported at over 80% in mosquito-endemic areas in the United States, such as Florida, the infection rate in cats is reported to be between 2%-14%. The lower incidence of infection in cats is thought to be due to the cat's strong immune response to heartworms, which can cause heartworms to die quickly.
Cats also become infected with fewer heartworms than dogs. An average heartworm-infected dog will carry 25 to 50 adult heartworms; however, a cat will usually have less than six adult worms. Because the cat's heart and blood vessels are so small, a small number of worms can have lethal consequences. This small worm burden also makes it difficult to diagnose a cat with a heartworm infection. The routine "heartworm test" performed on dogs (a heartworm antigen test) detects blood levels of a protein associated only with female heartworms. Because infected cats have so few worms, which may not necessarily be female worms, and because cats do not need adult heartworms to show clinical signs of heartworms disease; this antigen test has limited diagnostic capability in cats. Oftentimes, if a cat is ill and has symptoms of heartworm disease, bloodwork, chest x-rays and a heart ultrasound are needed to help confirm disease. Clinical signs of heartworm disease can be vague in cats. These signs include lethargy, anorexia, weight loss, coughing and vomiting.
There is currently no approved treatment of heartworms in cats; therefore, it is recommended that all cats receive a monthly heartworm preventative. These preventatives can be given orally as a flavored chewable tablet or can be applied topically. Please ask us about getting your cat started on heartworm prevention!
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PROGRESSIVE THERAPEUTICS
2010 THERAPEUTIC WRAP UP
There are two therapies that we have highlighted in our previous newsletters and would like to tell you about them again. We have developed some expanded uses for these products and are pleasantly surprised as to how well they worked. You may find your personal pet may benefit from them, also.
The first product we would like to talk about is the DAP collar. To refresh your memory, this is a collar imbedded with a pheromone that is calming to dogs. The collar looks similar to a flea collar, but is nothing like one. It goes around the neck and needs to be close to the skin. Once it is in contact with body heat, the pheromone is released. It make take 24 to 48 hours to get the full effect.
Since the last two months of this year have included two major holidays, our boarding population was heavier than usual. A few pets boarding were suffering from anxiety. In an attempt to relieve the anxiety but be "drug-free", we put DAP collars on these pets. What a difference a day makes!! Admittedly, we were skeptical at first. We now are very comfortable suggesting a DAP collar to anyone looking for something to help calm their pet but be drug free. It may not work in every case but it is definitely worth a try. The DAP collar lasts a month. Considered uses could be: travel, guests visiting, workmen in the house and/or general anxiety.
The second pr oduct is ResiKetochlor leave-on lotion. It is considered a leave-on lotion to be applied after a bath for those pets who have skin infections. This lotion will give some residual topical effect against yeast and bacterial infections. ResiKetochlor lotion is usually coupled with the Ketochlor shampoo and is used on a weekly basis. The lotion is not an antibiotic but acts more as an antiseptic. We see quite a few dermatological cases. Some of these cases have a resistant infection where oral antibiotics aren't effective.
Recently we have used the ResiKetochlor as a daily treatment to try to eliminate these resistant infections. Again, we have been pleasantly surprised as to how well this product is working. It is always good to find a product that works or at least can be used as an adjunct to help avoid or decrease the chronic use of antibiotics. This may not be for every case but it does show promise.
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PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE
As another year ends, we would like to take this opportunity to remind owners of the importance of keeping up with their pet's immunizations. Please take the time to review your pet's vaccine history. Currently in Martin County, the Rabies vaccine is due every three years unless your pet is a juvenile. The initial Rabies vaccine for your juvenile pet will be a one year vaccine. After that, they will receive the three year vaccine. The Distemper vaccine schedule is similar in that adult animals receive it every three years and the juvenile pet has a vaccine good for only one year.
We have recently become aware of an outbreak of Distemper further south of us in the Miami area. With our transient lifestyle, it is easy for our pets to have exposure. This virus has deadly consequences. Please be sure your pets are all up to date on their vaccines. If you are not familiar with their records, just give us a call and we will look them up for you. You can also go on our Pet Portal site and create your own account for your pet. This enables owners to look up information on their pets directly from their home computer. Visit our website at www.vet4yourpet.net to access Pet Portals.
Please do not forget about your feline friends. Too many cats are forgotten and not brought in for regular veterinary visits. Annual exams along with regular vaccines are equally important for them. It is assumed since cats are for the most part self-sufficient and usually indoors then they are spared any medical problems and do not need up-to-date vaccinations. Unfortunately this simply is not true. The sad fact is that since most cats are not presented on a regular basis for their annual visits, many issues that could be detected early and helped are missed. By the time cats are brought in for an illness, the problem has gone on too long for us as veterinarians to make them well. Cats are great at hiding their weaknesses. It is a defense mechanism they have had for centuries. This is one reason owners don't see the problem until it is almost too late. The owner notices the issue when the cat is so ill they can't hide it anymore. If you are not sure when your cat's last visit to the veterinarian was or if they are due for immunizations, call us and we can check that information for you.
As part of your New Year's resolutions, think of your pets and make sure they have all they need to have a Happy and Healthy New Year themselves!
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CASE OF THE MONTH
URINARY BLOCKAGE IN MALE CATS
Bailey is a young, male Himalayan cat who started to have problems with urinating. Straining to urinate can be easily mistaken for straining to defecate. Physical examination revealed his bladder was distended, firm and the size of a peach. The bladder was not expressible. Bailey had a urinary blockage which is a life threatening condition.
Mucous, crystals and even tiny bladder stones can clump together to form an actual plug in the narrow male cat urethra. If the blockage persists for longer than 24 hours, urinary toxins start to build up in the system.
The single most important thing, for the obstructed cat, is to have the blockage removed. Bailey was put under anesthesia and a urinary catheter was put through the urethral opening. His bladder was flushed out with sterile water to remove crystals, inflammatory debris and blood.
It is crucial to realize that the cat is at risk for re-blocking for days to come from the original event and after discharge from the hospital. This happens because the irritation syndrome that led to Bailey becoming blocked in the first place is still continuing and blocking is a possibility. This is what happened to Bailey. One week later he was blocked again.
When urinary blockage becomes recurrent in a male cat, it is time to consider surgical reconstruction of the genitalia to create a more female-like opening. The female-like urethra is shorter and broader, in short, far more difficult to obstruct. This surgery is called the perineal urethrostomy or "PU" for short. Basically, the penis is removed and a new urinary opening is made.
At present, post-surgically, Bailey is doing very well. He might still experience lower urinary tract disease, but he will not be able to become blocked and complicate the situation. He should have his urine tested every 3 months and remain on a preventative diet. The most serious complication that can occur post-operatively is scar (stricture) formation. This causes a narrowing of the urinary opening and surgery may have to be revised.
Good luck, Bailey! You are a great cat and still a male.
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